Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: gospel

No Doubt

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

No Doubt

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬

Casting out all fear and doubt

Satan uses tools of fear and doubt to keep us from doing extraordinary things.  God gives us power, love and a sound mind to do things that glorify Him.  But sometimes we limit God because of the fear and doubt we possess in our minds.

In Matthew 17:14-21 a man came to Jesus and begged for his son to be healed from demonic convulsions associated with epilepsy. Previously the man brought his son before the disciples but they couldn’t heal him. Immediately Jesus cast the demon out and the boy was healed. The disciples asked why they couldn’t cast it out and Jesus replied, “Because of your unbelief.”  He said if they had mustard seed-sized faith they could move mountains and nothing would be impossible for them. The problem wasn’t with their faith.  They had faith.  The problem was with their unbelief or doubt.  He gave them a solution: “this kind (of unbelief) does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” 

The devil plants seeds of doubt into our minds subconsciously and sometimes we are not aware of it.  We must protect our minds and be sure of what we are hearing and seeing is full of truth and not lies of Satan. Jesus said to fast and pray.  Fasting and praying starves the flesh of self desires and feeds our souls with the Spirit of God.

Is there anything ungodly that you should eliminate by fasting and praying?

Prayer

Pray in the Name of Jesus to have all fear, unbelief and doubt removed from your mind and replaced with God’s power, love and truth.

God’s Compassion

Encouragement, Salvation

God’s Compassion

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew the he had already been there a long time, he said to him, Do you want to be healed?
John 5:6

Healed by Jesus

While in Jerusalem, Jesus walked by a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years.  Every day he would sit next to the Pool of Bethesda waiting for someone to pick him up and place him into the pool when it began to stir.  Foolishly, there was a well known superstition that supposedly an angel would stir the water and the first person to step into the pool would be healed of their disease.  For 38 years this man anticipated the day that he would be healed.  On this certain day Jesus walked up to him and asked if he wanted to be healed.  Instead of a yes or no answer the man gave an excuse that no one would help him into the water.  Jesus then told him to get up and pack up his bed and walk.  Instantly the man was healed and he walked away.

This miracle was the result of God’s great compassion.  The first thing to notice is the fact that this man could not save himself.  He had good intentions but he couldn’t do it on his own. He needed help and he needed a Savior.  Second, this man was chosen by Jesus.  In John 15:16 Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…”  Thirdly, Jesus gave him new life.  For 38 years this man was stuck in unfavorable circumstances until Jesus came into his life and gave him hope.

Are you thankful for God’s compassion and saving grace in your life?

Prayer

Pray and thank God for sending His Son, Jesus, into this world to save you for giving you eternal life and hope.

Then The Devil Left Him

Trust

Then The Devil Left Him

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:11‬

Dealing With Temptations

Temptation has always been a struggle for mankind ever since Adam was tempted in the Garden.  Scripture is filled with examples of people who have struggled with Satan’s attack of temptation.  But there is good news. God has provided a wonderful plan for victory.

Matthew presented the temptations of Jesus to show that the conflict with Satan was real and to prove that temptations can be overcome by the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.  If Satan could get Jesus to sin then the entire redemptive plan of God would be destroyed.

Three times Jesus was tempted by Satan. The first temptation was a temptation of the flesh.  Satan wanted Jesus to satisfy the flesh and distrust the Father’s ability to provide.  Satan’s plan of attack is always with “if” to create doubt in people’s mind.

The second temptation took trust to the next level. Satan says, “Ok, if you really trust God then jump off this cliff and see if He will save you.” Satans temptation was to make Jesus distrust and test God.

The third and final temptation was the big one. Satan tried to get Jesus to bypass all the suffering and just enjoy what was already His.  Satan was trying to keep Jesus from dying on the cross.

Jesus was tempted three times and each time Jesus used the Word of God to defeat the devil’s power. The temptation was real but the power of God gave way to victory. We have the same source and power to overcome any temptation we face.

Notice verse 11.  “Then the devil left Him.”  These are some great words. Aren’t you glad when the devil leaves you alone?

Prayer

Pray Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”